Month: August 2008

 

Disappointingly day 2 of the York Ebor meeting has been rained off and we have also lost racing at Carlisle to the weather.

Hopefully Folkestone and Hamilton will go ahead. Hamilton is Scotland’s only dedicated flat racing track. It was also the first track in Britain to stage an evening fixture on 18^th July 1947. Sir Mark Prescott does well with the runners he sends up to Hamilton and he has Astrodome entered in the 12 furlong handicap at 4.50. Astrodome is going for a hat trick of wins at Hamilton, although he has some way to go to match the achievements of his half sister Alambic, as she won 6 times in 2006, only one of the wins coming at Hamilton though.

The other runner at Hamilton from my list to follow is Peruvian Prince in the claimer at 3.40. He put in some good performances last season, including a second to Greek Well at York but he has not been able to reproduce that sort of form this time around.

Over in Ireland they race at Tralee. The great Dawn Run has a Tralee connection as she won a bumper there were she was ridden by her 63 year old owner.  (Since penning these notes Tralee has been called off as well due to waterlogging.)

It won’t be too long now before we can start thinking about the jumps season, we certainly have the weather for it at the moment. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls will no doubt have a big say in the destination of many of the big prizes; in fact he claimed the Galway Plate at the end of last month with Oslot so he has already got the ball rolling. As a reminder of his successes last season the picture below (courtesy of the artist Lisa Miller) is of the first 3 home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman, Kauto Star and Neptune Collonges.

The next update will be tomorrow evening when hopefully we will be able to look forward to some racing from York.

 

The going seems likely to play a major part in at the first day of York’s Ebor meeting, with heavy ground forecast.

In the sprint handicap at 1.45 I am going to keep the selection process simple. Green Park has won twice on heavy ground, was second last time out so is in good form and races off a mark lower than his last win.

In the Juddmonte International at 3.25 I just wonder if New Approach will find the ground more to his liking than Duke of Marmalade. Phoenix Tower could be the one to give the front two most to think about.

Charlie Tokyo seems to be a horse that is at his best when the mud is flying. He won the John Smith’s Cup at York last season on heavy ground and looks worth an each way interest in the 4.40. To be honest though, it is probably best to approach day one of the meeting with caution given the state of the going.

Over in Beijing I see we are neck and neck with the Aussies in the medals table. They had a good win in the Women’s Triathlon today, a fairly new Olympic Sport that more than earns its keep at the games. If you are interested in such trivia you might like to know that Banjo Patterson, a runner in the Brighton 2.35 tomorrow, is named after the guy who penned the words to Waltzing Matilda. The horse is out of a mare called Rumpipumpy. As I can’t think of an acceptable way to follow that I will sign off for tonight. Tune in tomorrow for a look forward to day 2 of the York meeting.

My thanks to David Hebb for allowing me to use his photograph of York racecourse.

 

 

As usual I will concentrate mainly on the prospects for the horses from my list to follow over the next couple of days.

Cruel Sea and Melodramatic run at Bath in the 4.30 in the Dick Hern Stakes. One of my earliest racing systems revolved around trainer Hern and jockey Joe Mercer, especially when they combined at Newbury. Anyway, back to the race! Melodramatic won a Nottingham maiden back in May and then ran second to the grey Rosa Grace in a listed race for fillies at Newbury over 10 furlongs. She then disappointed when back to a mile of faster ground at Sandown. She has an each way chance on her best form. Cruel Sea won a Doncaster maiden as a 2 year old but after a promising reappearance when 2^nd at Newmarket she has disappointed since, tending to race too keenly. She has been racing on fast ground and it is possible that an easier surface may bring about some improvement.

Floristry and Quiet Elegance represent my list to follow in the Pontefract 3.40. It may be that Quiet Elegance need soft ground so she could run well at a big price if we get enough rain. Floristry should be fitter for her recent run at Doncaster and if she can pick up where she left off last season when landing a hat trick on wins she would have an each way chance.

I had high hopes for Roaring Forte this season but he has proved expensive to follow thus far. He was a beaten favourite when second at Newmarket last time but may have found the going a bit quick that day and is worth another chance in the 4.10. The other runner from my list to follow in this race is Bigfanofthat who is likely to be the outsider of the party. After winning at Ayr on fast ground on his debut he suffered a set back and didn’t run again until April this year when down the field behind Perks at Doncaster. He was well thought of by connections but it appears that he has been difficult to train.

Baybshanbles has been one of the more successful horses on my list winning 3 times. He carries top weight in the 5.10 at Pontefract but is only 2 lbs higher than when recording his last win.

The main interest for me at Windsor on Monday evening will be to see if Aleatricis can win a 6^th consecutive race in the 5.30. Interestingly he wears first time blinkers. 19 year old Rosie Jessop has the ride and she has already won on him twice.

In the 6.00 there is a good word for the William Haggas trained newcomer Dream Date. Of those that have previous experience Tropical Paradise has been placed on both her starts.

There are a couple of runners from my list to follow in the sprint handicap at 8.00. 9 year old Caribbean Coral is not the force of old but is well handicapped and seems to handle any ground. Like Caribbean Coral Hereford Boy has won once this season but despite subsequent defeats is still a couple of lbs above his highest winning mark.

Karl Burke’s Merrion Tiger looks capable of picking up a small race off his current mark. He wears a first time visor in the 7.20 at Yarmouth.

Today’s picture is by kind permission of the artist Vicky Young

My selections this week have won a few silver and bronze medals but gold has been hard to come by. Astrodome won up at Hamilton and Dar Re Mi went in at Deauville but I was relieved when Tropical Strait gave me a 10/1 winner this afternoon under a confident Seb Sanders ride. Things got even better later in the afternoon at Nottingham with Hawk Mountain winning at 3/1 by 7 lengths easing down.

One of the big betting heats tomorrow is likely to be The Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon (4.00). My parents were going to name me Wilfrid until my sister intervened so perhaps I should take a particular interest in this race!

This does look a tricky puzzle to solve with Dandy Nicholls, as always in these sprint handicaps, having a strong hand. One of his runners that comes into this race in excellent form is Valery Borzov a winner last time out at Haydock on heavy ground. He settled much better at Haydock than he has been doing lately and he is a horse with tremendous early pace. He has a middle draw which may not be ideal. Northern Dare and Joseph Henry, two other Nicholls runners both have low draws. No horse starting from a single figure draw has won in the last 7 years but being too dogmatic about draw bias is always dangerous strategy. Joseph Henry was 4^th in the Haydock race won by Valery Borzov but rather spoiled his chances by hanging left, something he has a tendency to do. He has only won once since 2004. Northern Dare looks the sort to come in at a nice price in one of these tight handicaps. His best recent run was at the Curragh when he was runner up in a 22 horse handicap over 6.5 furlongs. He has won on both good to firm and heavy so ground conditions do not seem to matter to him. Even though he has not won in his last 9 starts he comes here on a career high mark of 90 which would worry me a little. Another interesting Nicholls entry is Tajneed, who was with Dermot Weld last year. One theory when looking at multiple entries from the Nicholls team is to go with the choice of jockey Adrian, son of the trainer, and this time he has plumped for Tajneed.

Knot in Wood ran a creditable race when 6^th in the Stewards Cup and had won at Hamilton the time before that. In the Hamilton race Knot in Wood beat Baby Strange by a nose but his rival is weighted to reverse the form this time as he is 4 lbs better off. Dhaular Dhar has been in the form of his life this year, winning at Doncaster and coming 2^nd in two valuable handicaps at Ascot. Those races were over 7 furlongs though and he drops back to 6 here. He is also on a career high mark. Fullandby has what may be a nice draw and showed he is no back number when 2^nd at Ayr last time. He has won on good to firm but is probably best with some give in the ground. Conquest is not the most reliable but he certainly put his best foot forward on his last start when winning the Stewards Cup at Goodwood. He is another that seems to appreciate some juice in the ground.

It is difficult to choose between the Nicholls runners so I am going for Baby Strange who deserves to win a big race having been denied by a nose on his last two starts.

Staying with the sprinters, Newmarket stage their annual handicap exclusively for grey horses at 2.55. I am tempted to go for the top weight Zowington in this at around 12/1 but he does seem best when fresh and he last ran a couple of weeks ago. The 10 year old Certain Justice was second last year only beaten a short head. He runs off the same mark of 70 tomorrow and is in fair form having finished runner up on his last start. He usually runs well at Newmarket and he is the selection.

Earlier on the Newmarket card there is a runner from my list to follow in the 2.25. The secret to Just Two Numbers may be the ground as he doesn’t seem to want it too quick. He would have an each way chance with the ground on the soft side.

Another runner from my list to follow with a bit of a chance is Kiwi Bay in the 4.40. He was an impressive winner at Redcar in June but was rather collared by the handicapper as a result. He was a decent 4^th over 7 furlongs on his last outing and the step up to a mile tomorrow may help him. He may just be on slightly too high a mark though.

At Newbury I will be interested in the performance of the Godolphin colt Suba in the 4.25. He is a half brother to the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Dubawi.

There are a few meetings on Sunday so l will be back tomorrow evening to have a look at those.

The pictures today are by kind permission of the artist Katie Sodeau

Did you know that one of the British competitors at the 1896 Olympics in Athens delighted the home fans by reading out an ode he had written in ancient Greek at the closing ceremony?

Well, there haven’t been any odes so far but it’s been enjoyable nonetheless. Team GB (why not just call them the British Team), have won a smattering of medals and there looks as though there could be more to come yet. We haven’t had the best of days so far though with defeats in the boxing and badminton and the ladies hockey team are losing.

I have always found the Olympics fascinating, ever since I watched the Rome games when I was at school. I end up watching sports that I wouldn’t normally have much interest in. The weather in Beijing looks pretty miserable today and here at home we have lost tomorrow’s meeting at Newcastle to the rain. There are still 4 meetings to look at though so here goes.

At least the all weather meetings should be safe from the unseasonable weather and there is an evening card at Kempton Park. In the 8.25 Missioner represents my list to follow. A winner at Haydock in May his last 3 starts have been uninspiring and this will be his first try on the all weather. He drops back to a mile tomorrow after being tried unsuccessfully at 10 and 12 furlongs. He was tried in blinkers at Newmarket on his last run and I see that the headgear has been left off this time. The drop back in trip may help but he isn’t one I could give a strong recommendation for. Another horse in the race, Visions of Johanna could be interesting. He has only had 3 runs with form figures that read 221. His win only came in a small race at Sandown but the 3^rd horse that day has won since franking the form. Visions of Johanna is named after rather a long song by Bob Dylan. By the way, if anyone understands the lyrics perhaps they can drop me an e-mail!

City Stable was placed on his 3 starts as a 2 year old but could only manage 7^th of 8 at Leicester on his reappearance this season. He runs in the 6.45 at Catterick tomorrow. Previous comments in the form book seem to indicate that he may need a galloping track in which case Catterick may not suit. His form as a juvenile puts him up with the favourites though.

One that could run well, at Newbury in the 1.50 at a working man’s price is Tropical Strait. He didn’t see a racecourse until he was 4 last season when he started his career by finishing 2^nd in a Haydock bumper. He didn’t finish out of the first 4 last season, winning twice on the all weather and running a cracker in the November Handicap at Doncaster when he was 4^th behind some decent horses, such as Malt or Mash and Sandbuch. He should strip fitter for his first run of the season in June over an inadequate distance and goes to Newbury with an each way chance on ground that should suit him.

Illustrious Blue has struggled to find his form this season but he did put up a more promising show on his last run at Goodwood. Having said that though he has won 5 times at Goodwood, so he may not necessarily be able to repeat form at the Sussex track elsewhere. He runs in the conditions stakes (7.35) at Newmarket tomorrow and he is 12/1 in the Racing Post. One interesting fact about his record is that all his wins have come on good ground.

At Nottingham I quite like the look of Hawk Mountain in the last race at 4.45. He stepped up on previous efforts in his last race when he finished 3^rd at Pontefract. Whatever he does on the flat I wouldn’t be surprised to see him over hurdles in the winter.

My thanks to David Hebb for the photo of Catterick racecourse.

Bye for now.

 

The racing this week has been dross in the main, not that my tipping has been much better! I did give the John Dunlop 3 year old Perks a positive write up prior to his win at Haydock on Saturday though and I feel he could be one to keep an eye on for the remainder of the season. He has only been raised 9 lbs for his comprehensive win which does not seem over harsh. He also seems to handle most types of going which is a plus.

In the more immediate future Sir Mark Prescott’s 2 year old filly Florentia (pictured below) appeals as a likely winner of the 2.40 at Beverley tomorrow. She is a half sister to 8 winners which is a good start, and she showed some promise on her debut run when she finished 4^th at Sandown last week. A danger may come from Impressible. This filly is bred for speed being a half sister to Reverence by the top sprinter Oasis Dream. Although she is yet to get off the mark after 4 runs she shaped quite well last time at Chester over 6 furlongs and this shorter trip may suit her better.

Another dropping down in trip is William Blake in the 3.15. He ran well at Goodwood in a 12 furlong handicap before fading in the latter stages. Before that he had been second against older horses at Ascot over 10 furlongs. He runs over a mile and a quarter tomorrow and he is a course and distance winner. Another that deserves a mention in this race is Tufton who comes here on the back of 2 wins. His trainer has won this race 3 times in the last 5 years.

Rossini’s Dancer has not been one of the more successful horses on my list to follow and remains a maiden after 10 races. He runs in the 5.00 at Beverley in an amateur riders handicap but given his form this season I wouldn’t be confident about his chances.

John Gosden’s Dar Re Mi has been running consistently well this season winning twice. She goes over to France tomorrow to contest the Group 3 fillies race at Deauvile (3.20) and goes there with every chance.

Celtic Spur was an inexpensive purchase for trainer Andrew Balding but he made an encouraging start to his career when 2^nd on his debut at Kempton. With the talented apprentice David Probert on board he might surprise the more fancied runners in the 6.00 at Great Leighs.

General Ting gives the impression that he is not the most tractable of horses but he certainly has some ability. Already a winner at Nottingham this season he should go well in the 6.30 at Great Leighs where Seb Sanders has the ride.

Lastly, James Fanshawe’s Redford has gone up in the weights this season which might make him difficult to place in handicaps. He takes his chance at Group, 3 level tomorrow in the 4.15 at Salisbury but will need a career best performance to win. He seems best suited by ease in the ground so some rain would help his cause.

The picture of Florentia is by kind permission of British 2YO Racing

 

There is evening racing at Musselburgh tomorrow with the first race at 6.10. The only runners from my list to follow in action at the Scottish track are both in the last race on the card, the 8.40. La Fortalesa has run 5 times but has not really built on the promise he showed as a 2 year old. He has dropped 10 lbs in the handicap since the start of the season but still needs to improve on recent efforts to get in the shake up here. Scanno is also a maiden and like La Fortalesa has dropped down the weights. Neither has really shown enough to warrant much confidence. I would give La Fortalesa a bit of an each way chance at around 12/1.

The Mark Tompkins trained 4 year old Yossi has a poor strike rate with just 1 win from 16 races. He has been 2^nd or 3^rd 7 times and looks a bit of an underachiever. He runs in the 6.55 at Nottingham tomorrow over 14 furlongs, a trip that appeared to suit him when he was 2^nd at Haydock a couple of runs ago. He then disappointed at Nottingham in a novelty race where all the runners were ridden by jump jockeys. He has the ability to win this sort of a race if putting his best foot forward.

Rowe Park ran by far his best race of the season so far at Goodwood at the end of July. If he can carry on where he left off there he would be in with a shout in the 7.55. He would probably be my most promising runner of the day.

There is no shortage of flat meetings on Wednesday. The draw usually plays an important part in the sprints at Beverley. In the 3.15 both Bo McGinty and Pacific Pride have favourable draws. The former is a course and distance winner and should go well.

Keisha Kayleigh has been a real fun horse to follow this season winning twice at rewarding odds and also putting in some placed efforts. She seems to be holding her form well and turns out again on Wednesday in the Hamilton 7.25 where she is a course and distance winner.

You always have to respect anything that Sir Mark Prescott sends up to Hamilton and I note that he has entered Astrodome for the 8.25 tomorrow. He won at the track 11 days ago when sporting first time blinkers and runs over an additional furlong tomorrow. He has gone up 6 lbs for his win but he is a half brother to Alambic who ran up a sequence of wins last season and it would not be a major surprise if he were to win again. Paul Mulrennan has the ride.

Down at Salisbury I am interested in a 2 year old making his debut in the 2.00. Zero Money, trained by Roger Charlton, is a half brother to 5 winners. He is up against a number of rivals that have already had a run but he certainly looks one to keep an eye on. The 2.30 is the second division of the 2 year old maiden. Another newcomer catches my eye in this race in the shape of Countess Zara, a filly trained by Andrew Balding. The dam, Lochridge was a decent sprinter a few years ago winning at the Shergar Cup meeting and also landing a listed race at Pontefract.

There are 2 runners from my list to follow in the 4.05, Cape Amber and Wood Chorus. On her best form Cape Amber would be very interesting. She was runner up to Lush Lashes in the Musidora at York, and had Dar Re Mi and Moonstone behind in 3^rd and 4^th. Unfortunately Cape Amber has not been able to match the subsequent exploits of her 3 rivals that day. She has tended to race too keenly but if she could settle better she would be a major contender. Wood Chorus has shown a liking for soft ground. She won a Ripon Maiden and put up her best performance when 3^rd in a listed race at Newcastle. She has a bit to find with some of the others in this race though.

Sandown stage an evening meeting and the 7.40 includes a couple of runners from my list to follow. Albarouche has already won once, when wearing first time blinkers at Kempton. Her efforts on turf have been pretty ordinary though, both on fast and easy ground. She is a full sister to Dragon Dancer, the Derby runner up of a few years back. Wing Play, a winner at Wolverhampton last November has shown some form in his last two runs and shaped as though this 10 furlongs might be his best trip.

Rock Peak, a stable companion of Wing Play, is another horse I have been following this season. He remains a maiden after 6 starts and will be trying to break his duck in the 8.10. He has been 3^rd on his last two starts so it is a bit difficult to see him winning off a similar mark.

Laureldean Dream looked a sure fire future winner when 3^rd in maiden at Warwick in June, but was then last of 7 in her next race at York. She may not have been suited by the heavy ground that day so may be worth another chance in the Yarmouth 2.50. She is a half sister to the top class miler Ad Valorem.

Dan Chillingworth was making some late headway over 6 furlongs at Southwell on his last start. He moves up to 7 furlongs for the 3.55 at Yarmouth and should go well.

The picture "Deauville" is by kind permission of the artist Karen Davies.

That is about it for tonight.

 

Looking back to Saturday’s racing there was a very topical winner at Haydock in Valery Borzov. Named after the gold medal winning Ukranian sprinter at the Munich Olympics, Dandy Nicholls 4 year old notched his 3^rd win of the season. It was a particularly noteworthy performance as he was running off a mark 10 lbs higher than he had ever won off before. The other runner from my list to follow in the race, Burning Incense was staying on at the finish and came 3^rd.

Another horse to record his third win of the season was Trip the Light up at Redcar. He stayed on stoutly in the 14 furlong handicap. He looks the sort that we might see over hurdles one day. I had another winning tip in Zero Tolerance who kept up his 100% record at Haydock Park. He has visited the Lancashire track 3 times and won the lot. The real key to this fellow is the ground though. His record on soft or heavy going now reads 1211401. The Fifth Member ran another good race to finish 2^nd to Zero Tolerance.

Perks also clearly appreciated the heavy going in the heritage handicap at Haydock. The 3 year old won as he pleased with the rest of the field strung out all over the place, more in the fashion of a steeplechase than a competitive flat handicap.

I am always fascinated by the way that racehorses get their names. Battle of Hastings who won the nursery handicap at Newmarket on Friday evening got his name because he was lot number 1066 in the sales catalogue!

There is racing at Thirsk, Windsor and Wolverhampton tomorrow but nothing that really catches my eye. See you tomorrow.

 

After a few near misses earlier in the week a couple of runners from my list to follow found their way to the winner’s enclosure on Thursday. Hurlingham had been rated as high as 87 but had dropped to 69. He was given a really nice ride by Paul Mulrennan at Haydock yesterday. He was always travelling well on Hurlingham and he had enough horse under him to go through the gaps when they appeared. Hurlingham has a rather high head carriage and I wouldn’t be sure that he could follow up this success, but his 10/1 win does my stats a bit of good.

The other winner from my list to follow was Ascot Lime who showed a determined attitude to win the 10 furlong handicap at Sandown.

The main news of the week in the world of racing concerned the retirement of Mick Fitzgerald. Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of him though as there seems a strong probability that he will take up a TV role. He has had a wonderful career riding many big race winners. In recent seasons one of his favourite horses has been Fondmort, a horse he won on 8 times, including a Paddy Power Gold Cup and a Ryanair Chase. Like Fitzgerald Fondmort (pictured below) had to retire after injury.

There is only one runner from my list to follow in action tomorrow in the Shergar Cup, and that is Highland Legacy in the 2.55. After completing a hat trick of wins in a handicap at Ripon in April Highland Legacy has not really lived up to expectations. He was well fancied for the Chester Cup where he went off a 7/2 favourite. He could only finish 5^th and there was a suggestion that perhaps he didn’t handle the track. He was again made favourite for the Northumberland Plate but his challenge soon petered out and he finished last. He is surely better than he has shown in his last two starts but he does have something to prove now.

The other one that I looked at on the Sandown card was All The Good in the 3.30. He had a successful campaign in 2007 when trained by Gerard Butler but is now with Godolphin. He should be fitter for his seasonal reappearance 4^th at Ascot recently. He is a course and distance winner.

The Fifth Member has done these pages some favours this season, winning twice on the all weather and also putting in some placed efforts on turf. He certainly comes into the 1.25 at Haydock on good form but is on an all time high handicap mark. One runner that is really well handicapped is course and distance winner Zero Tolerance. He hasn’t won for nearly two years and as a result has slipped to a very handy mark. If he retains enough of his old ability he would be very interesting, although he must have soft ground. He has won 8 times in his career with 6 of those wins coming in fields of between 10 and 13 runners. He faces 10 rivals tomorrow!

The Haydock 2.00 features two runners from my list to follow. Valery Borzov is a topical runner as he is named after a former Russian Olympic gold medal winning sprinter. The horse is also a real speedster and has already won a couple of times this season. Although he has shown good early speed in his most recent runs he has not been able to sustain his effort and it may be that he has gone up a bit too high in the weights. Burning Incense is yet to get off the mark this season. He is coming down the weights slowly though and the booking of top jockey Ryan Moore looks significant. Burning Incense is best on easy ground.

Age of Reason has only ever won on the all weather. He did put up a decent effort on turf last time out though when 4^th to Indian Days at Goodwood. He has an each way chance in the 3.10 at Haydock. There are others with chances though. I thought that Perks ran better than the bare form figures suggest last time at Newmarket and given ground on the soft side of good could be in the shake up. Incidentally Perks is owned by a former member of ABBA. The third horse that I would put on my short list for this race is Ezdiyaad, an unexposed sort who was 3^rd in the Magnet Cup at York and looks to be on an upward curve..2.00

Gilded Cove, who runs in the 4.15, lost his right eye some years ago. He has been a grand campaigner despite that winning 13 times. 12 of those wins have come on the all weather; he particularly seems to like Wolverhampton. Because of his sight problem he is best when drawn wide and I notice that he is drawn in stall 1 tomorrow.

Following Sir Marl Prescott 3 year olds can often reap dividends. I put Iron Cross on my list to follow at the start of the season as he looked the type that his trainer excels with . He has not shown a lot so far though. He is upped in trip tackling 14 furlongs for the first time and that may bring about some improvement, but it will need to if he is going to feature in the finish.

At Lingfield’s evening meeting my best offering is Miss Carlotta in the 5.40. She showed some promise over course and distance on her racecourse debut at the end of June.

I had the Ed Vaughan trained juvenile Konka down as a likely winner before she appeared on a racecourse; there were some good reports about her and her dam won at 2. However she didn’t show much on her debut when 12^th of 13. She may be capable of better and runs in the 4.25 at Newmarket.

There are a few runners from my list to follow in action at Newmarket. Tiger Dream (2.40); Celtic Sultan, Presumptive and Tathkaar (3.50); Amaakin and West With the Wind (4.55).

Kashimin has been knocking on the door and was 2^nd at Carlisle in the week. He runs in the 3.00 at Redcar where he is blinkered for the first time and Joe Fanning has been booked tom ride. The winner of the race last season was Passion Fruit who lines up again and is 1 lb lower in the handicap than last year.

Trip the Light has done my list to follow a couple of good turns. He runs in the 5.10 at Redcar where he is a course and distance winner. He has gone up the weights a bit but given fast ground he would be in with a squeak. Trip the Light is by the stallion Fantastic Light, (pictured below) who won 12 races including The Irish Champion Stakes and The Breeders Cup Turf.

Moving on to Sunday’s racing Kiwi Bay runs in the Leicester 3.50. He won at Redcar in June, beating subsequent winner Party in the Park. He acts on fast ground but may just be in the grip of the handicapper now.

Two year old filly Demeanour caught the eye when 4^th on her debut at Newbury last month and is my selection for the 2.10 at Redcar.

Tawzeea has won a couple of times this season, both on good to firm over 6 furlongs. He represents my list to follow in the 3.40 at Redcar on Sunday.

The only other runner from my list to follow on Sunday is Shanafarahan in the Redcar 4.40. This one has failed to reach the frame in 5 starts this season but has dropped in the weights as a result.

That is it for the weekend’s preview but before I go I want to flag up a couple of horses to watch out for in the coming weeks. Swop is a 5 year old but has had injury problems and has very few miles on the clock. A winner of 2 of his first 3 starts he was upped in class on his last run but still performed creditably to finish 2^nd to a more experienced rival. That race was won a Yamal, trained by Mark Johnston. His stable companion William Blake was another to catch my eye when finishing 5^th in a heritage handicap at Goodwood.

All pictures today are by kind permission of the artist Lisa Miller

Anyway, that is about it for now.